Ateny Wek Ateny the Presidential Press Secretary [Gurtong file photo]
By Ojwe Lumara
JUBA, 08 December 2018 [Gurtong]-The Amnesty International report released Friday accused the government of carrying out executions of seven prisoners including a child in 2018.
Amnesty International said it also fears for the lives of another 135 people on death row, who have this year been rounded up from other prisons across the country Juba Central prison and Wau Prison-two prisons notorious for executions.
“It is extremely disturbing that the world’s youngest nation has embraced this outdated, inhuman practice and is executing people, even children, at a time when the rest of the world is abandoning this abhorrent punishment,” said Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International’s Director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.
“The President of South Sudan must stop signing execution orders and end this obvious violation of the right to life.”
However, Ateny Wek Ateny the Presidential Press Secretary denied the report, saying South Sudan has not executed any prisoner since independence.
“Since 2011, South Sudan has not executed any sentenced prisoner simply because we are signatory to the Charters that prohibit death penalty. I don’t know where Amnesty International got this information,” he said. “There is no execution because we have put a postponement of the death penalty.”
Mr. Ateny added that President Salva Kiir did not sign any order to allow the law enforcement agencies to execute any sentenced prisoner.
“Even if the execution was to be done at the level of those who have committed murder, a child cannot be executed in South Sudan. Even the culture of South Sudan cannot accept it,” Ateny argued.
He said despite the death penalty still being part of the country’s constitution, “we have put a postponement of any execution of people on death row.”
He also denied that prisoners on death row are being transferred to Juba central prison and Wau Prison where the alleged executions happen.
Mr Ateny added that the capacity of Juba central prison is full and that transfer of prisoners to other less populated prisons is a routine administrative work.
“It is a routine transfer because the prison like Juba is full. It was meant for only 1,500 inmates, it now has more than 15,000. You cannot put them in packed prison like that and you cannot release those who have committed crimes,” he added.
The South Sudan Penal Code provides for the use of the death penalty for murder; bearing false witness resulting in an innocent person’s execution or for fabricating such evidence or using as true evidence known to be false; terrorism (or banditry, insurgency or sabotage) resulting in death; aggravated drug trafficking; and treason.
Newer articles:
- South Sudan, a nation embracing its identity through its skin - 09/12/2018 20:15
- South Sudan's power-sharing deal and a battle of elites - 09/12/2018 03:05
- At scene of South Sudan mass rape, 'no one could hear me' - 09/12/2018 01:07
- Air fares in Sudan soar due to local currency’s devaluation - 08/12/2018 22:38
- US diplomat in Sudan meets tribal leaders in Abyei - 08/12/2018 22:19
Older news items
- Struggle for South Sudan vice-president is behind SSOA’s crisis: Changson - 08/12/2018 00:53
- South Sudan-India: Diplomatic Relations and Economic Partnership Potential - 08/12/2018 00:18
- UN says ‘all sides’ still recruiting fighters in S. Sudan - 07/12/2018 17:30
- Execution numbers in S Sudan draw Amnesty response - 07/12/2018 08:04
- South Sudan leaders appeal for forgiveness after brutal civil war - 07/12/2018 08:02
Latest news items (all categories):
- South Sudan needs ‘civic education’ before elections, says bishop - 16/01/2025 16:42
- South Sudan parties set to resume peace talks in Kenya - 16/01/2025 16:39
- Abandoned but not forgotten – the invisible crisis in South Sudan - 16/01/2025 16:35
- The SAF has committed barbaric atrocities against South Sudanese refugees in Wad Medani - 16/01/2025 16:27
- Syria 2025: The historical Syrian project: From revolution to a modern inclusive civil state - 16/01/2025 16:10
Random articles (all categories):
- Coronavirus: African Union Member States reporting COVID-19 cases as of 1... - 14/06/2021 01:08
- 24 killed in rebel and Army battle in South Sudan - 20/05/2013 06:00
- Rooney Mara: Hope v. war in Africa - 15/12/2014 18:26
- South Sudan president seeks bilateral meeting with Bashir - 09/04/2015 03:58
- Unprotected sex in South Sudan - The Guardian - 30/05/2012 18:25
Popular articles:
- Who is the darkest person in the world, according to Guinness World Record? - 25/10/2022 02:34 - Read 61807 times
- No oil in troubled waters - 25/03/2014 15:02 - Read 22310 times
- School exam results in South Sudan show decline - 01/04/2012 17:58 - Read 21500 times
- NDSU student from South Sudan receives scholarship - In-Forum - 29/09/2012 01:44 - Read 19065 times
- Top 10 weakest currency exchange rates in Africa in 2023 - 19/07/2023 00:24 - Read 18841 times